July 23, 2021

Dear Knight Families,

Today is a sad day for our community. This morning, we were made aware of the unexpected death of our school principal.  We share sympathy in the loss of Dr. Damien Moses and for his family. Our Knights were closely associated with Dr. Moses and may experience a wide range of emotions as he was such an impactful person.

We encourage you to be observant of your Knights for the next several weeks and provide guidance and understanding. This event may remind your child of other losses and may bring up questions or fears for them. We encourage you to give your child the opportunity to discuss this with you. Should you choose to talk about this with your child, the following guidelines might prove helpful:

• Be a good listener. Allow your child to say anything. Validate their feelings.
• Your child needs to be heard and taken seriously.
• Be honest with your answers and not afraid to say “I don’t know.”
• Reinforce the idea that feelings are neither good nor bad.
• Be patient. Allow your child time to feel comfortable expressing themselves.
• Quiet time together is okay.
• Create a safe and friendly atmosphere.
• Children show a variety of reactions to death.
• Try not to do all the talking or assume your child is coping well just because they are not acting out. 
• Avoid comparing death with sleeping since this may provoke fears.

The following are some signals for attention that could indicate a grieving child:

• Marked change in school performance.
• A lot of worry or anxiety manifested by refusing to go to school, go to sleep, or take part in age-appropriate activities.
• Frequent anger outbursts or anger expressed in destructive ways.
• Social withdrawal or lack of emotion.

If problems persist, you may want to seek professional guidance.

If the school can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to call on us. Our phone number is (863) 638-1010.

In sympathy,

Your Bok Academy Staff